System for testing electrical apparatus



lawn, W39. J. BIERMANNS SYSTEM FOR TESTING ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Filed Jan. 27, 1938 :m W P n o mwim it wmf fW b 1 H. S M b Patented Jan. 31, 1939 SYSTEM FOR TESTING ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Josef Biermanns, Berlin-Johannisthal, Germany, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application January 27, 1938, Serial No. 187,323 In Germany January 13, 1937 10 Claims. (Cl. 175-183) My invention relates to systems for testing elecunnecessarily in which the instant of initiation of trical apparatus and concerns particularly such current occurs by chance. systems for testing apparatus under suddenly In accordance with my invention in its preapplied short circuits. ferred form, the instant of initiation of current It is an object of my invention to provide an through a circuit breaker having metallic or solid improved system for testing current interrupting contacts is fixed by initiating a current at a given devices such as circuit breakers and tocontrol instant even though the contacts cannot yet be definitely the instant of application of the testing closed. Control of the magnitude of the direct current in relation to the electromotive force current component is accomplished not by leav- Wave of the current source. ing the instant of origination of the short circuit 10 It is a further object of my invention to provide to chance movement of the switching device proa testing system with means for controlling the vided for the introduction of the short circuit. magnitude of the direct current component of the Instead an additional or auxiliary voltage is intesting current. jected or superimposed at aninstant dependent Other and further objects and advantages will upon the voltage wave of the short-circuit-cur- 15 become apparent s the description proceeds. rent generator. The conditions are usually such In short circuit testing systems the problem that the short circuit is induced by means of a arises that the instant of initiation of the short special Switch and is n e up by means of a circuit cannot be determined beforehand with circuit breaker to be tested. Th o ow n sufiicient accuracy. Consequently, there is proplanations refer primarily to such an arrange- 20 duced a discrepancy in the process which is more ment, although they are equally well applicable to or less left to chance and which involves the cases in which the appliance to be tested both dependency of the so-called direct current comintroduces and interrupts the short circuit. ponent upon the time when the current is initi- The invention may be understood'more readily ated. The presence of the direct current comfrom the following detailed description when con- 25 ponent, at least of one of unforeseen magnitude is sidered in connection with the accompanying disturbing in short-circuit tests for the reason drawing and those features of the invention that the machines of the short circuit testing which are believed to be novel and patentable will system cannot be fully utilized. Owing to the be pointed out in the claims appended hereto. 3O appearance of the direct current component, the In the drawing Figure 1 is a diagram showing the current amplitude is practically doubled and the electrical circuits of one embodiment of my invendynamic stress is approximately quadrupled. tion. Figure 2 is a fragmentary circuit diagram Additional alternating current stresses occur on of a modification in the embodiment of Figure 1. the rotors of the short circuit testing machines Figure 3 is a schematic diagram representing on account of the direct current components. more in detail a form of synchronous generator 35 In order to attain a clear insight into the capacity which may be used in connection with the appaof the switches or other apparatus to be tested it ratus of Figures 1 and 2. Figure 4 is a fragtherefore, becomes necessary to await the dampmentary circuit diagram representing a testing ing-out of the direct current component. If the arrangement for circuit interrupting apparatus in direct current component can be initially supwhich the apparatus to be tested serves both for 40 pressed, then the subsequent opening operation in applying and interrupting the short circuit. Like the case of a circuit breaker being tested can take reference characters are utilized throughout the place much sooner after the short circuit has been drawing to designate like parts. produced, the alternating current component is In the embodiment of Figure 1 of the drawing damped to a less extent and the testing machine there is a generator It for supplying short circuit 45 is, therefore, better utilized in this respect for the testing current to an object to be tested such as a p p se of testing. circuit breaker l2, which may, for example, be a On the other hand, it is important for some high voltage oil-filled switch. An auxiliary cirswitch constructions, to know as much as possible cuit breaker I3 is provided for introducing the about their behavior also in the presence of a short circuit and the circuit breaker l3 includes 50 direct current component. Furthermore, in such an operating mechanism of any desired, wellcases an arrangement is desirable for producing known type for opening and closing the contacts. the direct current component with safety at a Such a mechanism is represented schematically height exactly determined beforehand, in order by a switch operating coil M cooperating with an to avoid being obli d to make intermediate tests armature attached to movable contacts iii of the 55 circuit breaker. The circuit breaker l3 also contains stationary contacts l6 cooperating with the movable contacts l5. Thus the voltage of the current source H appears between the relatively movable contacts 15 and I6. In the case of relatively high voltage apparatus in which sparking or arcing may take place, this phenomenon depends not merely upon the amplitude of the applied movable contacts I5. Particularly in oil-filled switches it may happen that when the voltage is a maximum the switch contacts are still so far apart that the resistance of the oil cannot be overcome, but shortly afterwards, although the voltage is nearly zero the distance between the contacts has been reduced so much that a current are may be started. Consequently, rapidity of the closing of the contacts cannot be disregarded in connection with obtaining definite control of the electrical phenomena dependent upon the operation of closing theswitch.

In my apparatus an auxiliary or additional voltage is added to the voltage of the current source existing between the contacts in order to fix appropriately the instant at which current begins to flow. For the purpose of providing such an auxiliary voltage I may provide a voltage transformer I? (Fig. 2) having a primary winding [8 energized directly or indirectly by the current source H and a secondary winding l9 connected to the switch contacts 15 and It as shown in Figure 2. Although I have represented connection of auxiliary voltage to only one phase it will be understood that in the case of polyphase apparatus such as that illustrated in Figure 1, additional transformers or other means for supplying auxiliary voltage may be provided if desired for injecting the auxiliary voltages across the contacts in each of the phases of the circuit breaker l3.

My invention is not limited to any particular form of arrangement for generating the injected voltage and includes not only the use of a transformer such as shown in Figure 2, but also such apparatus as impulse or surge generators or even Tesla-transformers. In Figure l a surge generator 20 is represented for injecting an auxiliary voltage in one of the phases of the circuit breaker Hi. It will be understood that in this case also additional surge generators will be provided for the remaining phases in the case of polyphase apparatus. The release of the voltage from the surge generator may be accomplished in any desired manner.

Regardless of the type of generating means employed for producing the injected voltage the arrangement is such that the application of the auxiliary voltage and the initiation of current in the switch I3 is synchronized. with the voltage wave of the source of testing current II which is shown as a synchronous generator. For example, a synchronous motor 2! connected to the output terminals of the generator H so as to run synchronously therewith may carry a rotating contact 22 designed to close fixed contacts 23 for releasing the auxiliary voltage at the desired instant in the voltage cycle of the generator I I. In the arrangement of Figure 2 the contacts 23 are in the primary circuit of the transformer 11. When the impulse generator 20 is utilized there may be a spark gap 24 over which the voltage surge of the surge generator 20 is caused to dis charge at the desired instant by proximity of the rotating contact 22. In the arrangement of Figure 1 a switch 25 having an operating winding voltage but also upon the speed of the.

26 energized at the same time as the operating winding M of the circuit breaker l3 may also be provided for connecting the surge generator 20 to the circuit breaker l3 at the stationary contact it when the breaker I3 is operated.

It is evident from the foregoing description that the arrangements of Figures 1 and 2 permit initiation of the current flow with equal surety and definiteness in each of the phases of apparatus to be tested and that the current may be initiated either during maximum voltage of the testing current supply source or at an instant of zero voltage or at some intermediate point of the voltage wave of the testing current supply source in order to obtain any desired value of direct current component or in order to eliminate the direct current component entirely. It will be understood that the direct current component of ac current rush taking place when the contacts are closed may be kept at zero by causing the current to be initiated at the point in the voltage wave corresponding to zero flux under steady conditions in those portions of the apparatus which contain iron in a magnetic circuit and are unexcited before the connections are closed. Such current rushes are liable to be very great in the case of transformers being switched on to a line, but exist to some extent in any electrical apparatus having portions of magnetic material subjected to alternations of polarity of the magnetic flux.

In order to obtain adjustment of the point in the voltage wave at which the testing current is initiated, suitable means may be provided for varying the phase relationship between the instant of release of the auxiliary voltage in any phase and the instant of maximum voltage of that phase of the generator I I. For example, the synchronous motor 2| may be so constructed as to have not only a rotor 21 rotating relatively to a stator 28, but to have the stator 28 also rotatable with respect to the base 29 of the machine. A portion of the periphery of the stator 28 may be toothed for cooperation with a worm 30. A rotatable hand wheel 2! connected to the worm 3% may be provided for varying the angular position of the stator 28. In the case of a four-h0le machine, for example, rotation of the stator through mechanical degrees will correspond to 360 electrical degrees so that a scale 32 covering 180 mechanical degrees and cooperating with 7 an index 33 may be provided for indicating the phase relationship between the instant at which current is released in any phase and the instant at which the voltage of the same phase of the machine H is a maximum.

Figure 4 represents the manner of arranging the apparatus when an electrical interrupting device 12, which is to be tested, serves also for closing the electrical circuit. In this case, the arrangement 34 for injecting the auxiliary voltage is connected across the contacts of the tested device l2. Figure 4 illustrates also an arrangeent in which a step-down transformer 35 is employed to obtain current of greater magnitude for testing the device l2 and the elimination of direct-current components of current becomes particularly important.

I have herein shown and particularly described certain embodiments of my invention and certain methods of operation embraced therein for the purpose of explaining its principle and showing its application but it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations are possible and I aim, therefore, to cover all such modifications and variations as lid fall within the scope of my invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:-

l. A system for testing circuit interrupting devices comprising a synchronous generator for supplying short circuit current, an auxiliary circuit interrupting device for connecting said generator to a circuit interrupting device to be tested, means for injecting an auxiliary voltage across the auxiliary circuit interrupting device to fix the instant of commencement of current flow, and means for synchronizing said injected voltage with the synchronous generator.

2. A testing system for electrical apparatus comprising a synchronous generator for supplying testing current, a circuit interrupting device for connecting said generator to apparatus to be tested, a transformer with a secondary winding connected across the circuit interrupting device and with a primary winding energized from a current source in synchronism with the synchronous generator output, a switch for connecting said primary winding to its energizing source, and means for operating said switch in synchronism with the synchronous generator.

3. An electrical testing device comprising a synchronous generator for supplying testing current, a circuit interrupting device having relatively movable contacts for connecting said synchronous generator to apparatus to be tested, a sruge generator having output terminals, means for connecting said terminals to the contacts of said circuit interrupting device, and means for synchronizing the operation of said connecting means with the synchronous generator.

l. In combination an electrical apparatus to be tested, a synchronous generator for supplying testing current, an auxiliary circuit interrupting device with relatively movable contacts for connecting said apparatus to said generator with means for closing said contacts, means for applying an auxiliary voltage between the said contacts to fix the instant of commencement of current flow and means for synchronizing the aplication of said auxiliary voltage with the synchronous generator.

5. An electrical testing system comprising a synchronous generator for supplying testing current, a circuit interrupting device for connecting said generator to apparatus to be tested, means for injecting an auxiliary voltage across the circuit interrupting device to fix the instant of commencement of current flow and means for adjusting the time relationship between the electromotive force wave of the generator and the instant of application of said injected voltage.

6. A system for testing electrical apparatus comprising a synchronous generator for supplying testing current, a circuit interrupting device having relatively movable contacts for connecting said generator to apparatus to be tested, means for injecting an auxiliary voltage between said contacts to fix the instant of commencement of current flow and means for synchronizing said voltage injecting means with the synchronous generator.

7. A method of testing electrical apparatus in alternating-current circuits which comprises applying testing current to the apparatus through circuit interrupting device having contacts by causing said contacts to start closing, applying an auxiliary voltage to produce an arc between the contacts in order to fix definitely the instant of initiation of current, and controlling the time relationship between the electromotive force wave of the testing current source and the instant of initiation of current to regulate the direct-current component value of the testing current.

8. A method of testing electrical apparatus in alternating current circuits which comprises connecting a source of alternating current to the apparatus through a circuit interrupting device having solid contacts by causing said contacts to start closing, applying an auxiliary voltage to produce an arc between the contacts in order to fix definitely the instant of initiation of current, and controlling the time of application of the auxiliary voltage and initiating the current at the point in the electromotive force wave of the current source corresponding to zero magnetic flux in the initially unexcited portion of the electrical apparatus.

9. In combination a circuit interrupting device to be tested, a synchronous generator for supplying testing current, said interrupting device having relatively movable contacts to connect it across said generator and having means for closing said contacts, means for applying an auxiliary voltage between the said contacts to fix the instant of commencement of current flow and means for synchronizing the application of said auxiliary voltage with the synchronous generator.

10. A system for testing circuit interrupting devices comprising a synchronous generator for supplying short circuit current having terminals for connection to the contacts of a circuit interrupting device, means for superimposing an auxiliary voltage upon the generator voltage to fix the instant of commencement of current flow and means for synchronizing said injected voltage with the synchronous generator.

J OSEF BIERMAN'NS. 

